Safe Spaces - November 2017

posted Nov 25, 2017, 9:12 AM by RSO The Fenwick Review

By Cameron Smith '20

In an age of expanding liberal ideology, the
idea of a “safe space” has become a major
topic of conversation at our college. In the
recent past, in the face of conservative
political victories, the administration of our
institution has felt the need to offer “safe
spaces,” defined by Merriam-Webster
Dictionary as being areas where students can
escape “potentially threatening actions,
ideas, or conversations,” such as opposing
values, to students who may feel
uncomfortable or distressed with the current
political situation. A perfect example of this
was when President Donald Trump’s decision
to potentially overturn DACA was publicly
announced. The college quickly responded
to the situation by sending out an email to
the student body, offering a “safe space” for
students that were upset about the decision
and sending a message of supporting the
“Dreamers” against our country’s President.
The school immediately took a political
stance on the issue and had no qualms about
making its position clear to the whole of the
student body, while deciding to provide
services to “help” people of the same
viewpoint.

However, these “safe spaces” for liberal-leaning
students are not doing anything to
strengthen equality and diversity at Holy
Cross. Instead, the College is simply giving
these students an escape from having to
interact with people of different viewpoints.
By allowing one group to completely ignore
and escape conversation with the other, the
institution has effectively split the student
body based on political ideology. If Holy Cross
truly wants to have the diverse and united
student body it claims to have, then it needs
to seriously think about the results of the
actions the administration has taken
regarding recent political events. Instead of
allowing one group to run away and stop any
discourse with those who may not agree with
them, the institution should instead sponsor
discussions between the two groups to start
respectful conversations. Perhaps then,
people on both sides would better
understand why each person thinks the way
that they do.

Especially at such a tense time in politics,
when people have even begun to see people
of the other political party as being less than
human, it is more important than ever to try
and appeal to both sides and start cordial
discussions. As we’ve seen following recent
events, people have started to become more
and more hostile to the opposing political
side. One example of this is when former CBS
executive Hayley Geftman-Gold took to
Facebook after the deadliest mass shooting
in United States history took place at a country
music festival in Las Vegas, saying: “I’m
actually not even sympathetic [because]
country music fans often are Republican gun
toters." Ideas like this one stem not only from
a complete disregard for people who have
different views, but also from a lack of
understanding of what others truly believe
in. Democrats often see Republicans as being
racists and white supremacists who care
nothing for the poor, while Republicans often
look at Democrats as being corrupt, adverse
to personal rights, and focused too much on
tearing hardworking people down. These
views of the political sides have held fast over
time as a result of a failure to communicate
effectively between members of the two
parties, even though these two perceptions
are both incorrect.

This is especially apparent here at Holy Cross,
as the contention between liberal and
conservative students can clearly be seen, not
to mention the professors that often try to
preach their liberal ideals and
make jokes or comments about the President
to the class as a part of their course material.
The divide among the members of the Holy
Cross community is only growing stronger as
time goes on, and it is up to the administration
to try and stop its progression. If we want to
have the strong, unified and loving community
we were all promised before we applied here,
we need to have a much better understanding
of one another, as well as more opportunities
to have positive discussions between members
of all of the political groups on campus.

If there was ever a time when “safe spaces”
would tear apart the community the most, now
is that time. We need to promote working
together for a better understanding and having
conversations, not advocating for these “safe
spaces” to help liberal students escape
discussions that they are afraid of having. Holy
Cross needs to get rid of these “safe spaces,” try
to foster stronger relationships between the
students, and make the student body once again
proud to stand united as the Holy Cross
Crusaders. As a Catholic college, I would expect
Holy Cross to try to bridge the gap between
neighbors, and it is a shame that as of right now
it is doing the opposite and pushing them further
away from a mutual understanding.